Metal powder for use in an additive method for the production of three-dimensional objects and method using such metal powder

ABSTRACT

A metal powder for use in an additive production method of three-dimensional objects is disclosed. The powder is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source and contains iron and the following components by weight percent (wt.-%):
         carbon: 0.07 max. wt-%,   chromium: 14.00-15.50 wt.-%,   nickel: 3.5-5.0 wt.-%, and   copper: 3.0-4.5 wt.-%.       

     The powder particles have a median particle size d50 between 20 μm and 100 μm.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a metal powder for use in an additive method for the production of three-dimensional objects and to a method using such a powder.

(2) Description of Related Art

Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is a laser-based rapid prototyping and tooling process by means of which net shape parts are fabricated in a single process. Complex parts can be directly produced from 3D-CAD models by layer-wise solidification of metal powder layers in portions of the layer corresponding to the cross-section of the three-dimensional part in the respective layer. This process is described in detail for example in Juha Kotila et al., Steel-based Metal Powder Blend for Direct Metal Laser Sintering Process, Advances in Powder Metallurgy & Particular Materials—1999, Vol. 2 Part 5, p. 87-93 and in T. Syvanen et al., New Innovations in Direct Metal Laser Sintering Process—A Step Forward in Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing, Laser Materials Processing, Vol. 87, 1999, p. 68 to 76.

There is a high demand for processing metal materials by additive manufacturing processes such as Direct Metal Laser Sintering, so that rapid manufacturing can be applied to applications where a specific material having well-known properties is required. One important class of materials is stainless steel which is widely used in many products. Many different kinds of stainless steel exist and are commercially available for conventional manufacturing methods, such as casting, forging, machining etc. as referenced in international standards, reference books, manufacturers' catalogues etc.

One example of a well-known conventional stainless steel is 17-4 PH (US designation) corresponding to 1.4542 European designation. An important characteristic of this material in conventional use is that it can be post-hardened by precipitation hardening (“PH”) to significantly increase the hardness. This material in powdered form can be processed by laser sintering to produce metal parts with good quality. Depending on how the parameters which are used in this process are selected, different metallurgical phases can be produced. It has been found that the conventional precipitation hardening process does not work for parts produced by direct metal laser sintering using powder material corresponding to stainless steel 17-4PH and typical processing parameters known from the prior art.

316 L/1.4404 stainless steel has also been used for laser sintering or laser melting.

It is the object of the invention to provide a metal powder which can be processed by laser sintering or similar additive manufacturing methods using a heat source and whereby the object produced has similar properties compared to that of a stainless steel object produced using a conventional manufacturing method. In particular, the object should be able to undergo the precipitation hardening process to fulfill the requirements of users. Furthermore, a method for producing a three-dimensional object shall be provided.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accord with the present invention, a metal powder is provided for use in an additive production method of three-dimensional objects wherein the powder is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source. The metal powder is characterized in that the powder comprises iron and the following components by weight percent (wt.-%)

-   -   carbon: 0.07 max. wt-%,     -   chromium: 14.00-15.50 wt.-%,     -   nickel: 3.5-5.0 wt.-%, and     -   copper: 3.0-4.5 wt.-%.         and wherein the powder particles have a median particle size d50         between 20 μm and 100 μm.

The metal powder of the present invention also can comprise one or more of the following features:

-   -   a. the powder particles have an approximately spherical shape;     -   b. the powder is produced by atomization;     -   c. the component elements are contained in each powder particle         in a pre-alloyed manner;     -   d. the powder is a blend of different component powders having         different grain size distributions and/or chemical compositions;     -   e. the powder comprises 1.00 max. wt.-% of manganese;     -   f. the powder comprises 0.03 max. wt.-% of phosphorus;     -   g. the powder comprises 0.015 max. wt.-% of sulfur;     -   h. the powder comprises 1.00 max. wt.-% of silicon;     -   i. the powder comprises 0.5 max. wt.-% of molybdenum;     -   j. the powder comprises between 0.15 and 0.45 wt.-% niobium;     -   k. the powder comprises 0.10 max. wt.-% nitrogen;     -   l. the content of ferrite is less than 5 wt.-%; and/or     -   m. the powder is in the martensitic state.

In another embodiment, a metal powder in accord with the invention comprises:

-   -   carbon: 0.02 (max. 0.04) wt.-%,     -   phosphorus: 0.01 (max. 0.02) wt.-%,     -   silicon: 0.4 (max. 0.6) wt.-%,     -   nickel: 4.2±0.2 wt.-%,     -   copper: 3.6±0.2 wt.-%,     -   manganese: 0.1 (max. 0.2) wt.-%,     -   sulfur: 0.01 (max. 0.01) wt.-%,     -   chromium: 14.3±0.2 wt.-%,     -   molybdenum: 0.0 (max. 0.2) wt.-%,     -   niobium: 0.3±0.05 wt.-%,     -   nitrogen: 0.04 (max. 0.08) wt.-%, and     -   iron: balance.

In still another embodiment, a metal powder in accord with the invention comprises iron and the following components by weight percent (wt.-%):

-   -   carbon: 0.02 to 0.04 wt.-%,     -   phosphorus: max. 0.02 wt.-%,     -   silicon: 0.4 to 0.6 wt.-%,     -   nickel: 4.2±0.2 wt.-%,     -   copper: 3.6±0.2 wt.-%,     -   manganese: max. 0.2 wt.-%,     -   sulfur: max. 0.01 wt.-%,     -   chromium: 14.3±0.2 wt.-%,     -   molybdenum: max. 0.2 wt.-%,     -   niobium: 0.3±0.05 wt.-%,     -   nitrogen: max. 0.08 wt.-%, and     -   iron: balance.

Also, the present invention provides a method for the production of three-dimensional objects from a powder, wherein the powder is applied in an additive manner and is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source, characterized in that the powder used is a powder as described herein.

Methods for the production of three-dimensional objects from a powder, in accord with the invention, also can comprise one or more of the following features:

-   -   i. the powder is applied in a layer-wise manner and selectively         solidified in each layer at locations corresponding to the         cross-section of the three-dimensional object;     -   ii. a laser beam is used with a laser power between 20 W and 1         kW, preferably approximately 200 W;     -   iii. the focused laser beam spot size at the powder melting         level is between 20 μm and 500 μm, preferably approximately 120         μm;     -   iv. the laser scanning velocity is between 50 mm/s and 10000         mm/s, preferably approximately 1000 mm/s;     -   v. the distance between adjacent scan lines is between 0.02 and         0.5 mm, preferably approximately 0.1 mm;     -   vi. the thickness of the powder layer is between 10 μm and 200         μm, preferably approximately 20 μm;     -   vii. the three-dimensional object is precipitation hardened         after the layer-wise formation;     -   viii. a step of cooling during the additive production method;         and/or     -   ix. the process parameters are selected such that the object         comprises less than approximately 20% of the austenitic phase.

In addition, the invention also provides three-dimensional objects produced by the methods as described herein.

The metal powder according to the invention has the advantage that the object produced can be post-hardened, in particular by means of precipitation hardening, to significantly increase the hardness. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the three-dimensional object produced by an additive manufacturing method are similar to those achieved using conventional 17-4 PH stainless steel and a conventional manufacturing method. This opens a wide range of applications for laser sintering and other additive processes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a laser sintering apparatus,

FIG. 2 is a schematic presentation of laser scanning in the DLMS-process,

FIG. 3 a)-3 c) graphs showing the result of typical tensile testing behaviour of parts produced using the metal powder according to the invention, and

FIG. 4 shows yield and ultimate tensile strength results of parts produced using the metal powder according to the invention with different heat treatment cycles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention will now be described with reference to the direct metal laser sintering process as an example for an additive manufacturing method. As shown in FIG. 1 the laser sintering apparatus comprises a build container 1 open at the top with a support 2 carrying the object 3 to be built. The support 2 is movable in the build container 1 in a vertical direction and is adjusted in such a way that the layer of the object which is to be solidified defines a working plane 4. A layer generating device 5 for generating a layer of pulverulent build material on the support or on a previously applied layer is provided. The laser sintering apparatus further comprises a laser 6 emitting a laser beam 7 which is deflected by a deflection unit 8 and passes through an optical unit 10 which focuses the laser beam onto the working plane 4. A control unit 9 controls the deflection unit 8 and the optical unit 10 in such a way that the laser beam 7 can be focussed to any position in the working plane. A powder reservoir and feeding device 11 is provided which is, in the example shown, arranged above the build container and which contains the pulverulent build material and feeds it to the layer generating device 5.

According to the invention, the pulverulent build material is a metal powder, preferably a stainless steel powder. The powder is produced in a known manner. Preferably it is produced by means of an atomization process, for example gas atomization, wherein the molten material undergoes atomization using gases. However, other processes may also be used, for example water atomization. As a result of the production process, each powder particle has the same or at least a similar chemical composition. The components can be pre-alloyed. In addition, the powder particles have spherical or approximately spherical shape with an aspect ratio up to 1:2.

The grain size distribution of the powder particles according to the invention is between 0.1 μm and 125 μm, the median size expressed as d50 value is between 20 μm and 100 μm, preferably between 30 μm and 50 μm.

The metal powder according to the invention, comprises iron and the following components given in weight percent (wt.-%):

-   -   carbon: 0.07 max. wt-%,     -   chromium: 14.00-15.50 wt.-%,     -   nickel: 3.5-5.0 wt.-%, and     -   copper 3.0-4.5 wt.-%

In a preferred embodiment, the powder comprises in addition 1.00 max. wt.-% of manganese and/or 0.03 max. wt.-% of phosphorus and/or 0.015 max. wt.-% of sulfur and/or 1.0 max. wt.-% of silicon and/or niobium between 0.15 and 0.45 wt.-% and/or 0.5 max. wt.-% of molybdenum and/or 0.10 max. wt.-% of nitrogen. The nitrogen has significant influence on metallurgical phases and can change the metallurgical phase from martensitic to austenitic or semi-austenitic. The balance of the composition is iron.

Advantageously the powder is completely free of or nearly free of ferrite with a ferrite content of less than 5 wt.-%.

The powder is a purely metal powder without non-metallic additives such as fluxing agents etc.

In a more preferred embodiment, the powder according to the invention comprises the following components in weight percent (wt.-%):

-   -   carbon: 0.02 (max. 0.04) wt.-%,     -   phosphorus: 0.01 (max. 0.02) wt.-%,     -   silicon: 0.4 (max. 0.6) wt.-%,     -   nickel: 4.2±0.2 wt.-%,     -   copper: 3.6±0.2 wt.-%,     -   manganese: 0.1 (max. 0.2) wt.-%,     -   sulfur: 0.01 (max. 0.01) wt.-%,     -   chromium: 14.3±0.2 wt.-%,     -   molybdenum: 0.0 (max. 0.2) wt.-%,     -   niobium: 0.30±0.05 wt.-%,     -   nitrogen: 0.04 (max. 0.08) wt.-%, and     -   iron: balance.

The median particle size (d50) of the more preferred example is between 30 μm and 40 μm.

The method according to the invention is explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 using laser sintering as an additive process for manufacturing the object 3. The data of the 3D-CAD model of the object 3 to be built are converted in a known manner and transferred to the computer of the laser sintering apparatus for controlling the laser sintering apparatus during the sintering process. The powder according to the invention is dispensed onto the support or a previous layer and thereafter sintered or melted in each layer at locations corresponding to the cross-section of the object 3.

A laser with a power between 20 W and 1 kW, preferably approximately 200 W, is used. The focused laser beam spot size at the powder melting level is between 20 μm and 500 μm, preferably approximately 120 μm. The laser scanning velocity is between 50 mm/s and 10000 mm/s, preferably approximately 1000 mm/s and the distance between adjacent scan lines is between 0.02 mm and 0.5 mm, preferably approximately 0.1 mm. The thickness of the powder layer is between 10 μm and 200 μm preferably approximately 20 μm. These parameters are selected depending on the ranges depending on the object to be built.

An inert gas flow may be used to avoid chemical reaction of the powder with surrounding material or air. During the sintering process the laser beam scans the surface of the metal powder layer. The high intensity laser radiation is absorbed by the powder particles and creates extremely rapid heating in the powder to melt the powder. As the scanned laser beam moves on, heat is conducted away from the previously melted area via the solid metal and/or metal powder under and/or around it, leading to rapid cooling and resolidification. By keeping the temperature of the process chamber relatively low, for example by not applying additional heating in addition to the laser beam, a high cooling rate and lower temperature after resolidification is obtained. It is also possible to apply active cooling to remove heat from the solidified material during the laser processing to obtain an even higher cooling rate and/or lower temperature after resolidification. Active cooling can be carried out for example by means of cooling the support platform or by means of a flow of cooled gas.

When the laser sintering process is finished, the unsintered powder is removed and the laser sintered object is removed from the build container 1. The laser sintered object is a stainless steel object having less than 20% of the austenitic phase.

For specific applications the object 3 is post-treated. Heat treatment can be carried out at a variety of temperatures to develop specific properties. For example, the eight standard heat treatments H900, H925, H1025, H1075, H1100, H1150, H1150+1150, H1150-M can be carried out. Also, solution annealing (SA) can be carried out to obtain desired properties. It has been observed that high cooling rates to a relatively low temperature during laser processing are essential in order to obtain a complete martensitic transformation and to avoid excess amount of remaining austenite phase in the resolidified metal. This is important for the subsequent post-treatments like H900, H925, H1025, etc. if the treatments are to be done without solution annealing and quenching. If the cooling rate is not sufficient and the martensitic transformation is only partial then additional solution annealing and subsequent quench is needed to obtain a fully martensitic phase structure which is more favourable for post-hardening treatments like H900, H925.

The method according to the invention has the additional advantage that by carrying out the laser processing with rapid cooling and resolidification, additional steps of post-treatment such as solution annealing and quenching can be omitted. Hence, the process chain becomes shorter.

FIG. 3 a) to 3 c) show a typical tensile testing behaviour of a laser sintered specimen. The tensile testing behaviour has been tested with a 3.56 mm thick flat test specimen according to MPIF 10 standard.

FIG. 3 a) shows the result for a specimen produced using known stainless steel powder 17-4 PH.

FIG. 3 b) shows a typical tensile testing behaviour of specimens produced using the metal powder according to the above described more preferred embodiment of the invention. C1, C2 and C3 are measurement results from three specimens manufactured under the same conditions, i.e. identical process parameters and geometries.

FIG. 3 c) shows a typical tensile testing behaviour of specimens which are aged according to H900 condition after laser sintering. D1, D2 and D3 are measurement results of three specimens with the same process parameters and the same H900 heat treatment condition. As can be seen from the comparison with the prior art, the object produced using the metal powder according to the invention has considerably higher strength than the object which is produced using known stainless steel powder. Strength can be enhanced further by using heat treatment.

FIG. 4 shows the yield and ultimate tensile strength of objects produced by laser sintering using the metal powder according to the above preferred embodiment wherein the object underwent various heat treatment conditions, respectively. As can be seen, the precipitation hardening is applicable.

In the following, the mechanical properties of an object produced using the known stainless steel 17-4 PH powder are compared to an identical object produced using the metal powder according to the invention and which was H900 heat treated after finishing the laser sintering process.

object produced using object produced using metal powder known stainless steel according to invention Property powder 17-4 PH H900 heat treated Ultimate tensile strength, 1050 ± 50 MPa 1486 ± 50 MPa MPa  (152 ± 7 ksi)  (216 ± 7 ksi) Yield strength  540 ± 50 MPa 1382 ± 50 MPa (Rp 0.2%), MPa   (78 ± 7 ksi)  (200 ± 7 ksi) Young's Modulus (GPa)  180 ± 20 GPa  190 ± 20 GPa   (26 ± 3 msi)   (28 ± 3 msi) Remaining elongation  30 ± 5%   5 ± 2% Surface hardness as laser-sintered  230 ± 20 HV1  30 ± 5 HRC H900 aged xxxxxx  43 ± 3 HRC

HV1 is the hardness in Vickers units using 1 kg load for testing; HRC is the hardness in Rockwell C scale.

The objects produced with laser sintering and using the metal powder according to the invention, are stronger, stiffer and harder than that produced using the powder according to the prior art. Preferably, a heat treatment comprising ageing at 482° C. for one hour and air cooling provides superior mechanical properties due to precipitation hardening. Solution annealing and quenching is not required before the ageing treatment.

All numerical values given above are to be understood as including the usual measuring tolerances.

The metal powder according to the invention is not limited to the examples described above. For example the metal powder can be a blend of different component powders. The blend of component powders has to be selected such that the resulting powder mixture has in total a chemical composition and grain size distribution identical or similar to the powder embodiments described above. The individual component powders in the blend can differ in grain size and/or in chemistry. When they differ in chemical composition, the alloying to the final stoichiometry takes place during the laser sintering process. It is also possible that the metal powder is a blend of different component powders each having the above composition but which have different particle size distributions. Such blends can be beneficial for fine tuning the chemical composition and the grain size distribution of the resulting blended powder.

The invention is not limited in the application to the laser sintering technique. Moreover, electron beam sintering or melting or mask sintering using a spacious heat source can also be used. The invention is not even limited to additive layer-wise production methods but includes other additive and free-form production methods of three-dimensional objects such as, for example, the 3D laser-cladding method. 

1. A metal powder for use in an additive production method of three-dimensional objects wherein the powder is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source, wherein the powder comprises iron and the following components by weight percent (wt.-%) carbon: 0.07 max. wt-%, chromium: 14.00-15.50 wt.-%, nickel: 3.5-5.0 wt.-%, and copper 3.0-4.5 wt.-% and wherein the powder particles have a median particle size d50 between 20 μm and 100 μm.
 2. The metal powder according to claim 1, wherein the powder particles have an approximately spherical shape.
 3. The metal powder according to claim 1, wherein the powder is produced by atomisation.
 4. The metal powder according to claim 1, wherein the component elements are contained in each powder particle in a pre-alloyed manner.
 5. The metal powder according to claim 1, wherein the powder is a blend of different component powders having different grain size distributions and/or chemical compositions.
 6. The metal powder according to claim 1, further comprising 1.00 max. wt.-% of manganese.
 7. The metal powder according to claim 1, further comprising 0.03 max. wt.-% of phosphorus.
 8. The metal powder according to claim 1, further comprising 1.015 max. wt.-% of sulfur.
 9. The metal powder according to claim 1, further comprising 1.00 max. wt.-% of silicon.
 10. The metal powder according to claim 1, further comprising between 0.5 max. wt.-% molybdenum.
 11. The metal powder according to claim 1, further comprising 0.15 and 0.45 wt.-% niobium.
 12. The metal powder according to claim 1, further comprising 0.10 max. wt.-% nitrogen.
 13. The metal powder according to claim 1, wherein the content of ferrite is less than 5 wt.-%.
 14. The metal powder according to claim 1, characterized in that the powder is in the martensitic state.
 15. The metal powder according to claim 1, comprising carbon: 0.02 (max. 0.04) wt.-% phosphorus: 0.01 (max. 0.02) wt.-% silicon: 0.4 (max. 0.6) wt.-% nickel: 4.2±0.2 wt.-% copper: 3.6±0.2 wt.-% manganese: 0.1 (max. 0.2) wt.-% sulfur: 0.01 (max. 0.01) wt.-% chromium: 14.3±0.2 wt.-% molybdenum: 0.0 (max. 0.2) wt.-% niobium: 0.3±0.05 wt.-% Iron: balance Nitrogen: 0.04 (max. 0.08) wt.-%
 16. A method for the production of three-dimensional objects from a powder, wherein the powder is applied in an additive manner and is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source, wherein the powder used is a powder according to claim
 1. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the powder is applied in a layer-wise manner and selectively solidified in each layer at locations corresponding to the cross-section of the object.
 18. The method according to claim 16, wherein a laser beam is used with a laser power between 20 W and 1 kW, preferably approximately 200 W.
 19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the focused laser beam spot size at the powder melting level is between 20 μm and 500 μm, preferably approximately 120 μm.
 20. The method according to claim 16, wherein the laser scanning velocity is between 50 mm/s and 10000 mm/s, preferably approximately 1000 mm/s.
 21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the distance between adjacent scan lines is between 0.02 and 0.5 mm, preferably approximately 0.1 mm.
 22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the thickness of the powder layer is between 10 μm and 200 μm, preferably approximately 20 μm.
 23. The method according to claim 16, wherein the object is precipitation hardened after the layer-wise formation.
 24. The method according to claim 16 further comprises a step of cooling during the additive production method.
 25. The method according to claim 16 wherein the process parameters are selected such that the object comprises less than approximately 20% of the austenitic phase.
 26. A product produced by the method according to claim
 16. 27. A metal powder for use in an additive production method of three-dimensional objects wherein the powder is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source, wherein the powder comprises iron and the following components by weight percent (wt.-%) carbon: 0.02 to 0.04 wt.-% phosphorus: max. 0.02 wt.-% silicon: 0.4 to 0.6 wt.-% nickel: 4.2±0.2 wt.-% copper: 3.6±0.2 wt.-% manganese: max. 0.2 wt.-% sulfur: max. 0.01 wt.-% chromium: 14.3±0.2 wt.-% molybdenum: max. 0.2 wt.-% niobium: 0.3±0.05 wt.-% Iron: balance Nitrogen: max. 0.08 wt.-% and wherein the powder particles have a median particle size d50 between 20 μm and 100 μm.
 28. The metal powder according to claim 1, wherein the powder particles have a median particle size d50 between 30 μm and 50 μm.
 29. The metal powder according to claim 27, wherein the powder particles have a median particle size d50 between 30 μm and 50 μm.
 30. A method for the production of three-dimensional objects from a powder, wherein the powder is applied in an additive manner and is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source, wherein the powder used is a powder according to claim
 27. 31. A method for the production of three-dimensional objects from a powder, wherein the powder is applied in an additive manner and is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source, wherein the powder used is a powder according to claim
 28. 32. A method for the production of three-dimensional objects from a powder, wherein the powder is applied in an additive manner and is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source, wherein the powder used is a powder according to claim
 29. 33. A metal powder for use in an additive production method of three-dimensional objects wherein the powder is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source, wherein the powder comprises iron and the following components by weight percent (wt.-%) carbon: 0.07 max. wt-%, chromium: 14.00-15.50 wt.-%, nickel: 3.5-5.0 wt.-%, copper 3.0-4.5 wt.-%, silicon: 1.0 max wt.-% manganese: 1.00 max. wt.-% molybdenum: 0.5 max. wt.-% niobium: 0.5 max wt.-% and wherein the powder particles have a median particle size d50 between 20 μm and 100 μm.
 34. The metal powder according to claim 33, wherein the powder particles have a median particle size d50 between 30 μm and 50 μm.
 35. A method for the production of three-dimensional objects from a powder, wherein the powder is applied in an additive manner and is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source, wherein the powder used is a powder according to claim
 33. 36. A method for the production of three-dimensional objects from a powder, wherein the powder is applied in an additive manner and is solidified by means of a laser or electron beam or another heat source, wherein the powder used is a powder according to claim
 34. 37. A product produced by the method according to claim
 30. 38. A product produced by the method according to claim
 31. 39. A product produced by the method according to claim
 32. 40. A product produced by the method according to claim
 35. 41. A product produced by the method according to claim
 36. 